Hip-hop is not dead. Indeed, contrary to the cries of some cynics, the vibrant cultural offering that is hip-hop music is alive and well. And nowhere is that point more apparent than with the heralded Los Angeles crew Jurassic 5 and their debut full-length album Quality Control.
Consisting of four MCs and two DJs, Jurassic 5 is a throwback of sorts, referencing a by-gone era in hip-hop when the only thing that mattered was the music and having fun. In sound, the four MCs Chali 2NA, Zaakir, Akil, and Marc 7 conjure up the dynamic flows of old-school groups like the Cold Crush Brothers and Double Trouble: harmonic convergence, dynamic vocal inflections, and fly b-boy bravado. Jurassic 5's beat-providers, Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark, rock the decks with inventive, original beats that hark back to the true DJ innovators. With Jurassic 5, it's a more innocent, irreverent time that comes to mind, from the early days of jams in the parks to the creative insurgence of the Native Tongues era.